I've lost faith in engineers. The more tech engineers add to a product, the less faith I have.
As far as S10s go, I had a friend that was a diehard S10 guy. Wheeling with him, the Ranger was a better option as an off-road truck, although I don't ever remember his S10s having transmission issues.
But now, I'm not so sure who offers the better truck. I love this 2019 Ranger, but I camped next to a guy at Overland Expo that had a Colorado with a diesel that got low to mid 20's MPG, and he was hauling more stuff than I do. He even had a truck cap with a roof top tent mounted on top. I couldn't get 20mpg if I had a hurricane as a tailwind. Plus, you can get a Bison with a snorkel and front locker.
Ford should drop the 2.3 EB and replace it with the 2.7 EB. That motor should be able to deliver a better MPG and not have to work as hard.
The Ranger could be the best truck in its class, but as a factory offroad capable truck, I doubt they'll be a leader. Especially with Jeep joining the club. It wouldn't take much, but at this point, it would probably be cheaper to buy a basic 4x4, and build it up yourself.
There's not that much to figure out when it comes to cars. When it comes to trucks, Ford has always been about payload. Just make it capable of carrying more than other trucks, and give it the comfort of a car. But when it comes to a true offroad adventure vehicle, I'm not confident that Ford understands the customers wants and needs. And I don't think their open to suggestion.